Seven up and coming Benalla cricketers will test their mettle alongside the WDCA’s finest youngsters next week.

Seven up and coming Benalla cricketers will test their mettle alongside the WDCA’s finest youngsters next week.

The annual Wangaratta and District Cricket Association Junior Country Week Carnival starts next week and will see several Bushrangers in action.

Bushies James Arendt, Lucas Hales, Luke Dunne, Henry Sadaya, Jack Fullager, Jasper DeFazio and Adam Walsh will all take to the field against other associations throughout the week.

Junior Country Week is a great chance for young cricketers in the district to play for their region and test themselves against their peers from members of other cricket associations, such as Cricket Albury Wodonga.

The Junior Country Week action starts on Monday and cricket will be played all week at venues throughout the WDCA and Cricket Albury Wodonga area, culminating in grand finals next Friday.

Ages groups cover under-17, 16, 15, 14 and 13.

Walsh will compete with the under-17s, while Arendt will play in the under-16 squad, Stevens, Dunne and Sadaya will play for the under-15s Wangaratta Gold, DeFazio for the under-14s, Fullager for a different under-14s side, and Hales for the under-13s.

Games scheduled in Benalla are Monday at the Benalla Showgrounds for the under-16s, Wednesday at the Gardens sees the under-13s Wangaratta Gold versus CAWC, and Thursday at the Gardens has the under-15s Wangaratta Blue versus CAWC.

This weekend will also see several senior games of T20 cricket throughout the district for the inaugural Tox Free Bash for Cash.

The multi-round competition is for A-Grade and A-Reserve sides and the Benalla Bushrangers will field a side in each section.

A-Grade has a game scheduled at the Benalla Showgrounds on Saturday at 2.30pm versus Delatite, while A-Reserve will play Greta at the Friendlies Society ground on the same day at 2.30pm.

A-Reserve will then tackle Rutherglen at the Gardens the next day starting at 11am.

Benalla Bushrangers Cricket Club president Steve McCallum said it was great to see the juniors of the club being selected for representative cricket duties.